How To Handle Shipt Reimbursements

Shipt reimbursements provide financial compensation to Shoppers who pay for a customer’s order using their own money. Typically, Shoppers pay for the items in an order using their Shipt card, which sends the bill straight to Shipt. However, in unusual circumstances (for example, if the Shipt card is malfunctioning) a Shopper may need to pay for the order on their own, and Shipt will reimburse them. 

Shipt automatically approves reimbursement requests made via the app for up to $500 per pay period, but if you need to get reimbursed for more than that, you’ll have to submit a request via Shipt’s reimbursement request form. 

Shipt only reimburses its shoppers for in-store payments made directly from their personal non-EBT cards. That means that Shipt does not typically reimburse for any operational costs incurred during the shopping and delivery process itself. 

According to Joshua Merritt, a multi-platform gig worker with four years on DoorDash, Instacart, UberEats, and Shipt, there are special circumstances in which Shipt might extend its reimbursement privileges to gas expenses. 

“I once had a customer who failed to update their address before placing an order. So, I had to drive an extra 15-20 minutes than originally expected,” he explains. “I reported to support and they compensated me an additional five dollars for the extra time and gas spent.”

Keep in mind that such reimbursements are separate from the benefit programs aimed at assisting with gas costs. 

Reasons you might need reimbursement from Shipt

Shoppers generally seek reimbursement when their Shipt card malfunctions or becomes unusable. This can happen due to physical damage like wear and tear or chip issues. New cards might face activation problems, while existing ones could be deactivated by mistake, such as for security reasons. 

It’s also possible for a store's payment system to reject the Shipt card due to technical glitches or compatibility challenges. Sometimes, the store's own policies could be the ones restricting the Shipt card from processing order transactions.

Joshua adds that payment rejections are also common “when many items are added during the shopping after the order is placed, resulting in the final total being significantly larger than the original order total.”

In all these instances, Shoppers are allowed to use their own money to complete customer purchases, and then submit a reimbursement claim afterward. 

In the two years that Catherine Meyers has worked with Shipt, she has reportedly experienced similar inconveniences on multiple occasions.

“I've had it happen where it seems like the Shipt card was preapproved for a certain order price limit, only for the customer to add too many new items or make costlier replacements,” she discloses.“The in-store system may lag in some way and decline the card for being over the limit or insufficient.” 

Catherine then goes on to add that whenever she faces such problems, she contacts Shipt support and requests them to adjust the card or order amount. She confirms that so far, she has never had an issue with the adjustments. 

Patricia Jones, an experienced Shipt Shopper, and Joshua both reiterate that Shipt Shoppers should always take those same steps whenever their in-store payments fail to go through. 

“If you find the card being declined, you are encouraged to call Shipt support first to see if they can push the order through or if you need to use your own card for reimbursement,” says Patricia.

Joshua agrees: “Always reach out to support first. Reimbursements can take a long amount of time and should be avoided as much as possible.”

How the Shipt reimbursement process works

The procedures for obtaining reimbursement vary based on the claim amount. 

For expenses under $500, Shipt reimbursements are processed automatically. Shoppers are only required to submit their Shopper ID, order number, and a clear photo of the receipt. The system will then analyze the case, decide whether reimbursement is appropriate, and settle the claim automatically. 

Whenever the expenses add up to more than $500, the cases are manually reviewed by Shipt. In that case, Shoppers must seek approval from Shipt HQ via email or phone before submitting their request. They should then fill out the online reimbursement form, providing detailed information and justification for the expenses. 

As for timing, Shoppers are advised to submit their Shipt reimbursement requests as soon as possible after incurring the expense. 

All manual reimbursement requests are reviewed by Shipt's team. They carefully verify the accuracy of the information provided – including the Shopper's ID, order number, and the receipt’s particulars. The outcome, whether approval or denial, is then communicated to the Shopper. 

Catherine however cautions against accruing reimbursable expenses while shopping for items. “While reimbursement is an option, it should be a last resort to pay out of your own pocket! Shipt and Instacart are notoriously difficult about reimbursements. Taking 10 minutes to get a hold of support is significantly easier than the headache of chasing after your own $200.”

Shipt reimbursement request form 

Reimbursement requests must be submitted via Shipt’s reimbursement request form. 

You will need to provide your Shopper ID (found in the Account section of the Shipt Shopper app), the relevant order number, and the corresponding reimbursement amount.

You should attach a clear photo of the entire receipt, showing all items purchased and the full payment details. Check to make sure the receipt photo is clear and legible, as partial or blurry images can cause processing delays or rejection.

After filling in all fields and uploading the photo, review the information for accuracy. You should then submit and await Shipt’s decision on the reimbursement. Until then, hold onto the original store receipt, and consider writing the order number on it for easy reference.

It will take a few days for your reimbursement to come through

There are two windows in which reimbursement requests are fulfilled. 

Requests made from midnight on Thursday to 11:59 PM on Sunday are typically processed by the following Wednesday. Those submitted from midnight on Monday to 11:59 PM on Wednesday are generally implemented by the end of the day on Friday.

If reimbursement is delayed beyond these time schedules, shoppers should contact Shipt’s Shopper Pay team at shopperpay@shipt.com. Include details like the submission date and order information to expedite the resolution process.

You’ll receive the reimbursement via direct deposit

Shipt issues reimbursement payments to Shoppers via direct deposit. The funds are received into the same bank account used for Shipt earnings. This account is normally connected with your Shipt account during the onboarding process, so every Shopper should have a valid payout channel. 

Although they share the same account, reimbursements and regular earnings are never deposited together. Shipt processes them separately, so you don’t have to wait for payday to receive your reimbursements.

Upon reviewing your bank statements, you may find Shipt reimbursements listed separately with distinct transaction descriptors.

When all is said and done, we recommend that you keep a detailed record of all those reimbursement transactions. You’ll need them for financial planning and when it comes to filing taxes on Shipt income (reimbursements don’t count as income, so make sure you don’t lump them in with the rest of your Shipt payments). 

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